Solace
by thelazyuncle
Summary: Two hurting souls find the universe on their shoulders and learn to lean on one another when the infinite space seems to come caving in. Plagued with dreams and painful memories, a friendship solidifies and somewhere along the sleepless nights they share, a romance buds from torn soil. Shiro/Allura. Ratings will change.


_**A/N: Hi! This is my second story to be posted on , and honestly, I'm eager to write for this fandom. I binged watched the entire season in a day and I loved it. Allura and Shiro are very similar characters in my opinion. Allura is definitely more out spoken, but both have a strong passion for justice and I think that is freaking amazing. Plus, they would make the best power couple ever and are already Parents In Space lol. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. I definitely enjoyed writing it. Last but not least, Voltron and its characters do not belong to me. The only thing I can claim as mine is the plot.**_

 _ **ALSO, UPDATES DEPEND ON VEIWERSHIP, REVIEWS, AND ETC. I WILL NOT BE UPDATING IF NO ONE WANTS TO READ IT.**_

 _ **...**_

She was hesitant at first. Her hand trembled as she brought the scissors to a handful of hair, and she set there, staring at herself. Her hair reminded her of her father. Allura knew how much he loved her hair. It was the reason she'd kept growing it over the years. She wanted to make her father happy because in his happiness, she found hers. Now, it pained her to look at herself. Her hair was a reminder. She lost her father because of her recklessness.

She forced the shears' blades together with a heavy heart, it was too late to turn back now. Tears would do her no good. She had already cried once. She couldn't do it again. Not now. Not when her father's dreams where left on her shoulders. She had never seen her father cry so she could at least try to do the same.

Another chunk of pale hair fell onto the ancient vanity and her eyes started to burn. She shook her head, it would be over soon. Relieving herself of the extra weight would take a portion of the world off of her shoulders.

"Princess?"

She froze at the voice of both her advisor and friend, wide eyes staring into the mirror of the pale piece of furniture as if she'd been caught in the middle of some heinous act. Mind scrambled, Allura's mouth gapped, wanting to say something to her fellow Altein.

Before she could speak, Coran's hand was at the door knob, "Princess, I'm coming in."

"Coran, I—" her voice died in her throat when she saw the man's face. The usual jubilant smile fell from his face as his eyes found the piles of hair a top the vanity surface. "I can explain."

She swallowed, Allura didn't know what She wanted to explain. Or why she needed to. It just felt necessary to speak with him. To him. He was one of the last connections she held to both her father and her home. Besides the castle and the lions, Coran was it. She needed to confide in him.

"There is no need, Princess Allura." Coran held up his hand, stepping farther into the large room. "We all grieve in different ways, Miss. This—," he paused with soft blue eyes, looking to the silvery-white locks, "— this is your version of grief. You did not have time to grieve during those ten thousand years we slept. In the time you've been awake, you have been fighting tooth and nail for your father and his dreams. You've done well, Princess, your father would be proud of your sacrifices."

Allura's eyes watered, and she bowed her head, unwilling to let him see her cry. She flinched at the rough hand working the pair of scissors from her hand. She let him take it, knowing the shears would only fall from her slackened hand had they remained. Her hands fell into her lap much like her torn gaze. Was her father truly proud?

"May I?"

She nodded stiffly, granting him permission to finish the job she couldn't bring herself to complete. Allura's shoulders loosened at the feeling of his nails scrapping along her scalp, working out the knots with gentle fingers.

"May I tell you a story, Princess? It's about your father." Coran smiled as he brought the scissors to her hair, though it didn't completely reach his eyes. Allura found his eyes in the mirror, giving him an unspoken, almost pleading, yes. "A long time ago, your father did the same thing you are doing right now. When your mother died, he cut his hair. It was well past his waist when the Queen was alive. She adored your father's hair, often braiding it and weaving flowers into their hairs. His hair was your mother's pride, in a sense. She had cut hers during a battle and never thought to grow it out again, instead, she projected onto your father." Coran chuckled at the memory, recalling the Spring season and the fruit and flowers it bore and the amount of sweet smelling lilies tucked behind the couples' ears and the berries and flowers riddled through the King's hair. "When the Queen passed, it prompted him to rid himself of his braid. And, strange enough, I wound up undoing the damage he had done to himself as well. You and your father are very alike, Allura. You may not be able to see it now, but your father was not as strong as you thought him to be. He had his weaknesses. Though he never let you see them, you and your mother were one. Even your great father has shed tears. Either out of bitter defeat or of loss, your father still expressed emotions like any other being. Lord Alfor was never quick to present himself as anything other than a King. Even more so following the loss of your mother, and it isolated him. That was truly his greatest weakness."

Allura didn't understand. Had her father not been as she had known him? Had he not always been kind and caring and expressive? She knew him for the loving look in his eyes he held for his people. For her.

She looked up, wondering why he had stopped cutting.

Coran, seemingly reading her mind, continued to clip away at her strands with a much slower past this time around. "He had a dark moment. Everyone does, Princess, this I can attest to. When Alteria lost its Queen, all the people mourned her. Both land and creature mourned her in their own way. She was well loved. Loss wounds many. It may vary depending on the person, but your father was hurt the most. It took nearly two months them for your father to hold you. In all honesty, it pained him, I'm sure. But, he didn't linger in his pain. He fought through it. Raised you the best he could with an entire people to help. He never intended for you to experience something so tragic. But, it was beyond his power."

Allura smoothed the crease forming in her nightdress with a flattened palm, trying to undo the last biting memory of her father and the quaking of the castle. She shivered, remembering the chill against her skin as she was forced into the tube that forced centuries of sleep upon her.

A gleam of silver caught her attention from the corner of her eye as Coran set the pair of blades off to the side, successfully ridding Allura of the blaring red that colored the beautiful Altean skies, staining it as evidence of Zarkon and the Galra Empire's destructive nature.

Coran reached for a comb and ran the golden teeth through her hair, his eyelids seemed heavy as he stared down on her. He ran into a snag or two before setting down the instrument and fluffed her hair slight with his hands. Allura found wonder in the twinkle of his striking eyes through the mirror as she watched him take a step back. With his right hand pressed flat across his chest, Allura watched With widened eyes as he bent at the waist.

"You share a striking resemblance to your mother, even more so now, since you have adopted this hair cut, Princess." Allura's face burned, never had she met her mother. The thought of taking after her flustered her, for some reason, she had always thought she favored her father more from what she had seen. The few paintings that hung in more private quarters remained now that her father's stored memory was gone. "You look stunning."

Allura looked to the mirror, surprised at first as disapproval and regret bit at her, but as the ticks passed by and turned into solid minutes, she found herself liking the shortened hair. Her front was slightly longer than the back because Allura lacked eyes in the back of her head to see where she had been cutting which left Coran to salvage what he could. And salvage he did. Silvery-white fell a good two inches nearly three past her nape, leaving a trail of mused soft waves to hover slightly above her shoulders. The part in the middle of her hair remained and the long strands of hair that was usually tied at the back of her head had been angled and cut to match the ones she had over her shoulder, tickling her collarbone with her textured hair.

"Thank you." She whispered with her lower lip quivering and blue eyes watering. She stood shakily, reaching for the man.

"Of course, Princess." Coran stretched his arms out wide as she threw herself against him. Her hug was tight and he returned the gesture with a squeeze of his own. "This is a new beginning." He said, running his hand through her head of hair. "Your hair is a testament to that. Your will merits you a chance after all that you and I have been through. What we will go through. This is a testament to see if what is to come will make you or break you." He felt her hands clench and all he could do is hold her tighter, hoping to ease her mind.

History had a habit of repeating itself. These were the exact words Coran had spoke to her father. He had given him advice and could only hope he would heed them. This wasn't exactly what his father wanted for her. No father would wish the world and beyond onto his daughter's shoulders, but that was what happened and now they would have to make do. He and the others would make sure to share the burden amount each other and help with the workload. He was not her father nor could he replace him, but he would be there for her as both a surrogate father in his stead as well as a mentor to guide her in these trying times. Coran would guide all of them to the best of his abilities and he could only hope they would listen.

 _ **...**_

Allura was uncharacteristically hesitant when it came to stepping out into the common room where most of the Paladins gathered. It was well after lunch and Allura still had not shown herself. She purposely made herself scarce and eventually caved, and decided to present herself to the group.

Allura had had enough of hiding. Well, she was not hiding. It was a rather inconvenient game of avoiding the five human residents residing in the Castle of Lions.

"Holy quiznack, she looks even hotter with short hair!" It was the first response that made her want to return to her chambers and never come out. The comment of course came from the tanned teen that powered the blue lion as he leapt over the seating and immediately invaded her space for a closer inspection.

It was Shiro who came to her rescue,being the closest to her, and immediately grabbed the shorter man by his hood, successfully stopping him from getting any closer before she did.

They shared a silent nod, and Allura held his gaze for a tick longer before turning to the others who'd been watching with sudden interest.

"Woah," Hunk was next to speak, wiping traces of food from the corner of his mouth as he stood. "You look very pretty with your hair like that, Princess. I really like it."

He brought a smile to her faces and Allura nodded her head. "Thank you, Hunk. I appreciate your kindness." She brought a hand to her hair and pulled at a piece of hair thoughtlessly. She stretched it between her finger, pulling out the curl and letting go for it to retake the shape it had originally been in.

"What prompted the change, Princess, I never pictured you to be the impulsive type." Pidge peered up from her computer to look over the back of her seat, a soft glow reflecting on her glasses.

"It was rather tiresome to tie up. Having shorter hair felt more practical, don't you agree?" It was not a lie. Allura struggled fitting it all into the helmet she wore even with the mass of white pulled into a braided bun. Allura hadn't even bothered mentioning the headaches she would frequently get as a result of tying her hair tight. This made things much easier for her.

"Agreed. Cutting mine was tough but worth it in the end." Pidge nodded, turning back to her computers. "I think it is very becoming of you."

"Thank you, Pidge." Allura was pleased about her hair cut. Why she sought approval about a minor (not-so minor) change about herself escaped her and eventually she concluded her emotional distress was the cause. She was sensitive at the moment, but that sensitivity would most definitely needed to be put on hold for now because there were other matters she needed to attend to. The crown around her head sat there for a reason. It was not a decoration. It was a symbol of her status as both her father's daughter and the successor of his dream. She turned to face the group of people,"I believe more training will be necessary if we want to be able to defeat Zarkon. Our previous encounters with him and his people outside of both Voltron and your lions was too close of a call. I understand how dependable they are for you, but we must work on our physical combat outside of your lions."

Lance's hand shot in the air, startling both Allura and Shiro. "Are we teaming up? Because I totally call Kieth if we are!" he exclaimed grinning widely, his chin raised arrogantly with his arms crossed over his chest. Allura frowned at the wink Lance directed towards her, and all she could bother to do was shake her head. "Just wait Princess, I'll show you some really good moves on the training deck and maybe later I can show you some in—"

"Lance," Shiro interrupted, and Lance craned his neck slowly with widened eyes. "Don't bother finishing that sentence." The disapproval in his dark eyes and annoyance in his voice seemed like a deadly combination, promptly shutting up him up.

Allura nodded to Shiro once again, thanking him silently for gaining control of the situation, and continued, "Originally, I didn't have that in mind...but, your suggestion is a very good one, Lance. I think. Partnering you all up will be a wonderful idea. This is an opportunity for you to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses."

"I call Kieth." Lance repeated.

"Guess that leaves me and Pidge." Hunk grinned.

"I guess so," Pidge nodded, looking to Hunk with a face splitting grin of her own. "I finished the program so all we have to do is wait for this baby to load and we will have a solid network in the Castle." Allura smiled, the two had been working vigorously on installing something they called 'Wi-Fi' for the past two days they had been grounded. With little entertainment to run on, Pidge suggested the idea of Internet in Space and worked on the program while Hunk crafted a router for said program. Allura was intrigued and hoped to see their project end as a success.

"I believe that leaves you to train with me. I hope you won't mind sparing a bit." Allura grinned, turning her attention to the tallest member.

"It will be an honor." Shiro nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"It will be a bloodbath." she corrected teasingly. This was an opportunity for them to see what they were capable of and be able to grow off of one another. With a clap of her hands, she gained everyone's attention. "Sparring begins in an hour. Make each tick count when you are training because there will be a discussion later on about what you have learned. You will be switching partners the day after next. And, if we are still grounded, each team will go against one another. Dismissed."

Allura nodded to them once more before turning on her heel with her head high and shoulders pulled back and headed out the door.

She spent that hour eating, ridding her room of hair, and conversing with her friends she had made while stuck in incubation. They had complemented her hair and told her about the smaller things happening within the Castle. She found out it was Lance who I had eaten Hunk's specially made gelatin and it was Pidge who had sought revenge on him afterwards.

The hour ended rather quickly and Allura had to say goodbye to her friends. She changed out of her long dress into loose trousers that hugged her calves and a sleeveless top that fell an inch short of her bellybutton. She removed her crown and tosseled her shortened hair with her fingers before working a tie into her hair, forming a small, softly curled ponytail at the back of her head.

Allura found Shiro stretching in the center of the training room, much to her amusement. Did he intend to touch his toes and twist at the waist before every encounter with an opponent or was she just special? She playfully announced herself with her question, much to the man's chagrin, and found herself sourly amused by how red Shiro gotten. Allura now understood why the others picked on (if teasing him could be considered that) and pestered him so. Teasing was good for the health.

Almost immediately, Allura and Shiro commenced their training.

"This is a challenge of a series of strengths. You must not only rely on your muscle, but you must rely on your ability to evade." Allura pushed the button on the holo screen and it disappeared with a swipe of her hand. A large ring formed and the ground rose, creating a sizeable platform centered on the middle of the room. "This will be the first challenge. You are to hold your own against me and the first to exit the ring will be the loser. The one remaining will be the winner. This challenge tests your ability to defend yourself in limited space. You won't always have an open field or deck for you to fight in."

Allura made her way to the stage with long strides. She accepted the extended hand Shiro courteously offered and slid through the thin barrier surrounding it.

"Is this all right for you?" The look in his dark eyes did not get past her. She had forgotten his past in the ring. Allura pursed her lips and reached forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You have a choice, Shiro. I will never force you to do anything you don't wish to do. I am not Zarkon."

Shiro heaved and his eyes were sharp when he looked to her with a grim smile, "Thank you, Princess. I appreciate your concern." Allura shared a smile, one smaller than his, but it was a smile nonetheless. "I can handle this."

They broke apart with a nod of the head and Allura took one side of the circle and he the other.

"I am telling you now, going against me without a weapon will be your biggest mistake." She grinned, wanting to clarify his decision for the last time. "Are you certain you want to fight me empty handed? I have quite the selection."

"I'm sure I can manage." Shiro's smile was less disheartening and life seemed to twinkle in his eyes at her bantering. Teasing was good for one's health.

"Fine." She shrugged before relaxing her shoulders with a toothy grin. "That was my last time asking. "

She rocked back on her heels before shooting forward, heading towards Shiro, coming in from the side.

He rolled away from her, narrowly missing the rounded kick she threw his way. He was pushed back again, this time avoiding a flying fist that whizzed past his face. Shiro caught her forearm before she could pull it back with one hand and managed to grab the back of her shirt, quickly twisting her over his shoulder.

Allura landed a few feet from him, purposely rolling backwards before stopping to sit on her haunches. He was quick and space was most defiantly something she would need to maintain if she wanted to catch him off guard. Facing him head on with brute strength was not going to work. He was too fast for his size and Her eyes trailed to the metal attachment on his right that melded with tanned flesh. That arm of his was certainly something she would have to watch.

He ran forward, practically leaping as he brought his mechanical hand down and it sliced through the air, just barely missing her as she rolled through his legs to get to the other side and out of the way.

Blowing a short strand of hair from her face, Allura grinned and moved to pounce.

He whirled around quickly with his eyes wide as he felt everything slow and a ripple of white barreled towards him, nearly falling over as he tried to maintain his balance at the sudden intrusion of spece but was caught by the white haired woman. His mind barely registered the smile she had flashed him and soon he found himself flying outside the barrier, rolling roughly to a stop when he hit the ground.

"Would you like to go another round?"

Half a dozen spars later, the two had their hands and fingers locked in a strength match. She didn't underestimate his strength (and rightfully so) and didn't linger on the fact because she wasn't looking to lose a second match to him simply because she wasn't staying focused. It was interesting for her. Not many could hold their own against her and for so long too. Shiro was a nice force to be reckoned with and she could not afford to make a mistake. Each movement would count.

A determined look set in her eyes as the wrestled, taking Shiro by surprise as their hands locked together in a tight grip, and a grin broke across her face. The pinks of her cheeks seemed to glow, catching his attention, and Allura shifted her weight in the midst of her distraction. With ease, she tugged him forward and swung him around to gain momentum and released her hold confidently.

"I believe we have earned a break." Allura slid off of the platform and her way to the panting man that lay stretched out on the floor. Offering a hand similar to how he did earlier, she smiled. "This was very enjoyable. You worked well and fought hard!" Shiro took her hand and was heaved upwards with a general ease. She held both his gaze and hand for a moment before shaking the metal appendage and released it with a grin. "Let's hope the others have spent their time well and check on them, shall we?"

 _ **...**_

 _ **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let's see how this first one does before I update again. I honestly have a lot planned for this story, so stay tuned for more. If you notice any spelling or grammer mistakes, please let me know. I can't catch everything by myself. I don't have a beta for either of my stories, so prepare for errors here or there.**_

 ** _I hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing you again. Please don't forget to R &R, y'all._**


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